Judo rules come down to a few principles. Two players in judogi fight for four minutes of actual time at senior level. There are three scores (ippon, waza-ari and yuko) and a penalty scale that runs from shido to disqualification. What makes the rules hard to follow is the interpretation, which changes every Olympic cycle. This guide sets out the current International Judo Federation (IJF) framework, as applied on the mat since 2025 and its January 2026 update.
Each section links to a more detailed page.
The mat and how a match runs
A competition mat has two areas in different colors: the contest area in the middle and the safety area around it. As long as one of the two players keeps a foot in the contest area, the action is valid. A throw that starts inside can finish outside and still score.
After the bow, the referee calls "hajime" to start. "Matte" stops the action and "sore-made" ends the match. These Japanese words and their gestures make up a small vocabulary, covered in our guide to judo referee commands. The bow itself has its own meaning and form, explained in our article on the judo bow, rei.
Match length is simple under IJF rules: four minutes for senior men and women alike. The clock stops at every matte. Younger players fight shorter matches, with durations set by each national federation and sometimes changed from one season to the next.
The three scores: ippon, waza-ari, yuko
Ippon ends the match. In a throw, it rewards a clear landing on the back with force, speed and control. On the ground, you get it with a 20-second hold-down or when your opponent submits to an armlock or strangle. Everything that makes an ippon, and what stops one, is on our ippon page.
Waza-ari is given for an incomplete landing on the back, or a hold-down of 10 to 19 seconds. Two waza-ari make ippon: waza-ari awasete ippon. The fine line between a good side landing and a real waza-ari is the subject of our waza-ari article.
Back since 2025, yuko completes the scale. It rewards a landing on the side or close to it, on the upper back or on at least one buttock, as well as a hold-down of 5 to 9 seconds. It counts on the board but does not add up: ten yuko do not beat one waza-ari. To see why it vanished, and koka before it, read our history of yuko and koka.
When time runs out, scores are compared in order: waza-ari first, then yuko. The player ahead wins. For a quick cheat sheet of score values, see judo scoring rules explained.
| Score | Throw | Hold-down | Effect |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ippon | Landing on the back, force, speed, control | 20 s | Match over |
| Waza-ari | Incomplete landing on the back | 10 to 19 s | Two = ippon |
| Yuko | Side, upper back, one buttock | 5 to 9 s | Does not add up |
Penalties: from shido to hansoku-make
Shido is the minor penalty. Passivity or false attacks, deliberately stepping out, leg grabs and overly defensive posture are just a few examples. Referees apply them more or less strictly depending on context. A third shido loses the match by hansoku-make. The most common faults and how to avoid them are on our shido penalties page.
A shido gives no score to the opponent. Two players level on score with different penalty counts go to golden score. This confuses parents in the stands, and even some competitors.
Direct hansoku-make punishes a dangerous action or one against the spirit of judo: diving head first, applying an armlock while throwing, or using certain banned techniques. Depending on the offense, the player loses the match only or is removed from the whole event. Our hansoku-make article explains the difference, and illegal techniques in judo lists what is banned.
Golden score
If regular time ends without a winner, the match continues with no time limit. The first technical score wins, and a third shido also ends it. Penalties from regular time stay on the board. Many close matches are decided here, physically, which is why we have a page on how to prepare for golden score.
Judogi, weigh-in and categories
The judogi must be clean, fit properly and meet the standard. At international events, the first player called wears white and the second wears blue. Sleeves are checked before the match. All of this is in our page on blue and white judogi rules.
Players are split by sex, weight category and age category. Weights are covered in the judo weight categories guide and ages in judo age categories. Stepping on the scale has its own rules, sometimes with a random weigh-in on competition day: see how a judo weigh-in works.
Judo rules for kids
IJF rules do not apply as written to children. At cadet level and below, for example, the IJF bans using the head to throw or to defend, and reverse seoi-nage. National federations bring in armlocks and strangles gradually with age, and some moves stay banned for the youngest. A ten-year-old copying what they saw on TV can pick up a shido for something perfectly legal at senior level. Parents should read the rules for their child's age group before the first tournament.
Who judges the match?
One referee on the mat and two judges at the table, who follow the action and can review the action on video. The referee calls, and the judges correct if needed. How refereeing works, and how to get started, is covered in our page on the judo referee.
Advice for a first tournament
Do not try to learn everything. Three things are enough to start: attack for real so you do not get shido, never dive head first, and keep working on the ground until the referee says matte. The rest comes from watching matches with a referee's eye. After each competition, note the shido you got and why, in a notebook or in Jutrack. By the end of a season you will know exactly which fault costs you matches. For the text that actually counts, always go back to the current IJF rules and your national federation's regulations.